


Lilacs

by SJ_Mermaid



Series: Zutara Week 2016 [4]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Betrothal Necklace, F/M, Family, Flower Crowns, Love, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Necklaces, New Family, Romance, Weddings, fire lord, lilac, locket
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-17
Updated: 2016-08-17
Packaged: 2018-08-09 09:16:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7796062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SJ_Mermaid/pseuds/SJ_Mermaid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A short story, 10 years after the end of the war. Zuko is about to leave on a trip, and Katara has a gift for him. </p><p>This is for Zutara Week, Day 4</p><p>P.S. This one is one of my happier ones</p><p>Also stick around for my Pièce De Résistance on Friday</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lilacs

Katara sat on the golden satin sheets of her large canopy bed. She watched as the soft wind blew in through the open window pushing the sheer fabric of the surrounding canopy to and fro. She leaned against her amber-colored pillow with a worn book in her lap. Even though she had officially lived in the Fire nation for over a year she still wasn't totally accustomed to the warm weather. She found herself frequently leaving windows open and wearing sheer garments to bed, in hopes of it cooling her. She heard the soft fall of footsteps. As she turned the page of her book, she listened out for the light click of the door, followed by more footsteps.  
   
“Zuko?” she called out. Her answer came as dark figure standing in the doorway of their bed chamber. A tall lean man with long straight black hair, half of which was piled at the top of his head, held up by the golden Fire Nation insignia, which gleamed in the light. The man was garbed in robes in various shades of red and gold, all of which gave off a very regal appearance. But Katara knew first-hand how uncomfortable those outfits can be.  So she wasn't surprised when, without a word, he flopped onto the bed, legs dangling off the side.  
   
“Bad Meeting?” She asked, positioning herself over him. He looked up at her, his eyes tired and pained. With a deep sigh, he stretched out his arms.  
   
“Hi” he said simply.  
   
“Hi” she replied sweetly, kissing him on the forehead. “Want to tell me about it?”  
   
“No, it's just the campaign, you know the one, where we're trying to preach embracing diversity, other cultures, and all that. I mean I know it's only been a decade since the war ended, but I thought that attitudes would have changed by now” he said, rubbing his eyes across his face. “Sorry I don't want to rant to you about this stuff? How was your day?”  
   
“Oh, you know, equally as painful. But I did get a nice letter from Sokka”  
   
“Has he decided to make an honest woman out of Suki, yet?” he asked chuckling.  
   
“Oh you know how those two are. I'm sure one of these days he'll do it right and she'll finally say yes.”  
   
“Would you have said yes if I had asked you to marry me over a bucket of jerky?”  
   
“No,” she laughed “definitely not”. He flipped over on his stomach and kissed her cheek. She watched him with a grin as he got off their bed and began undressing. After he had pulled off his golden mantel, he started a new fire in the fireplace across from the bed.  
   
“You know, I'm not going to miss that when you are away. Two whole weeks of normal freezing temperatures!” she said, giggling, throwing her hands in the air.  
   
“What? The fire?” he asked flabbergasted, “I'll never understand the whole cold thing with you, it's the middle of winter!”  
   
“It's still too hot for the fireplace. Let's just say I'll be happy when we go down to the South Pole this summer. Dad's missed you.” She said, chuckling at this last part.  
   
“Oh I'm sure after I burned down how many buildings? Two?”  
   
“Three” she supplied, giggling to herself  
   
“Exactly!” he cried, laughing “It's not fair! They are made out of ice, I'm a fire bender!”  
   
They both burst out laughing, reminiscing over the entire affair. Zuko continued to get undressed, and once in his sleepwear sat in front of the vanity. He began to take down his hair from the bun at the top of his head. Setting down his insignia pin beside his wife's. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Katara staring at him.  
   
“I see you” he said in a low, sweet voice. “What is it?”  
   
“What is what?”  
   
“This is the thing you do when you have something to say.”  
   
“I don't have a thing, what thing?”  
   
“You kept looking at me, you want something.”  
   
“Oh, so I can only look at my husband when I want something”  
   
“Stop trying to change the subject, just tell me, or forever hold your peace”  
   
“You'll be gone for a fortnight, it's not forever”  
   
“Fine,” he said turning around in his chair “Don't tell me then”. He smiled to himself, he knew her too well. He knew he had her when he heard her murmur something under her breath. “What was that?”  
   
“What was what?” she said feigning confusion.  
   
“You said something”  
   
“Did I? I didn't hear anything…” She said looking away, trying to cover up the smile that so plainly sat on her face. He came over and climbed on to her side of the bed.  
   
“Katara,” he said in almost a whisper, enunciating every syllable with a almost sing-song like quality.  He leaned his forehead against hers, wrapping his arms around her waist, and spoke in the softest whisper. “Tell me”  
   
Slowly she placed her arms around his neck, after a beat she whispered back “I'm going to miss you”. For a moment they held each other like that, arms embracing, never wanting to let the other go. Slowly Zuko pulled away and began to kiss Katara. First on the forehead and then slowly down her to left cheek and the nape of her neck, before kissing her square on the lips, sweet and long. Katara ran her thumb against his cheekbone, her other hand draped around his neck. She stared into his golden eyes and he stared into her blue ones. The moment felt too long and yet not quite long enough.  
   
“I got you something”  she whispered, she saw the corners of Zuko's mouth lift into a smile. “It's in my vanity”  
   
 “You didn't have to get me anything”  
   
“I wanted to get you something to remember me by” she said as she stood and walked over to her vanity, opening the red marble box that lay upon it.  
   
“I'm going to have a hard time forgetting you” he said, sitting on the edge of the bed.  
   
“Close your eyes”  
   
Zuko complied with her request. He felt something cold against his chest, and a long chain around his neck. “Okay, open”  
   
Zuko did, he looked down to find a square golden locket. He picked it up in his hands, he could see that both sides were engraved. The first with the symbol of fire and the other with the one for water. He felt a small clasp on the side, pushing it open he saw the locket reveal two slots inside. One slot was empty the other held a photo of the two of them sitting on the picnic blanket.  
   
“It's from the day you asked me. We had that picnic, you were so nervous” she said, her voice lilting with a laugh. “You brought me that bouquet of-”  
   
“-lilacs, yeah” Zuko looked at the photo it had been snapped a few moments before he had asked her. He remembered that day well, they had picnicked in the Royal gardens, right in the middle of the Lilac field. She had made herself a flower crown out of the bouquet he had brought.  The picture was of her wearing it, with a big smile on her face as she leaned against Zuko. It was right after that, that he had pulled out the silver bracelet from his pocket. He hadn't wanted to get her a new necklace, so he made a silver chain betrothal bracelet with a hand forged emblem of his own design.  
   
When he had explained to her what the bracelet meant, before he could even get the proper words out to ask her, she had launched herself at him. Arms wrapped around his neck she pulled him into a long soft kiss. "I'll take that as a yes" he laughed when she'd finally let him go.  
   
“Whoa, sis, get a room!”  
   
She had turned to find Sokka, Suki, Toph and Aang standing beside their blanket.  
   
“It looks fine to me!” cried Toph, and they all laughed together. Katara shot up, embracing them all in a hug.  
   
“What are you all doing here?”  
   
“We are here for the wedding, of course!” said Suki. Katara, surprised, shot a look at Zuko, “Did you do this?” but he merely shrugged.  
   
“I just figured that, although we are going to have to have the big fancy ceremony that everybody hates, maybe we could have a small ceremony with just the 6 of us. Also who better to officiate a wedding, than the Avatar himself.”  
   
“But I'm not ready, I'm really not dressed for the occasion”  
   
“I think you look great”said Toph, and again they all laughed  
   
“Honestly, let's just fix up this crown of yours and you'll look great” Suki had said.  
   
Back in their bed chamber, he saw Katara standing in front of him, twisting the bracelet around her wrist, "You did look beautiful that day flower crown and all."  
   
"It was a nice day, much better than our real wedding. That mantel was so itchy, I didn't feel like myself. " They had a real wedding a few months after their little affair in the lilac field, one that had every one from the fire nation and the water tribe, or so it felt. The ceremony had been long, but it was important for the people of their respected nations to have that.  
   
"Anyway, I just wanted you to have a little photo of our little family, when you are away."  
   
"Family? Is two really a family?" He posed, questioning but still playful.  
   
"Maybe not, but three might be" she answered quietly  
   
"Three?" he asked confused, but when he saw her eyes looking down at her stomach, he understood. "You mean?" he asked, unable to get the words out. She nodded with big grin on her face. His mouth was agape, his eyes wide. He pulled her to him, embracing her so tightly, a wide grin on his face.


End file.
